Sorbent materials are useful in medical, personal hygiene and pollutant recovery applications, among others. Fibrous materials such as wools and felts, including glass fiber materials, have been used for such applications. FIG. 1 illustrates a mass of conventional glass fiber insulation material 10 in contact with a quantity of water 12 disposed on a solid substrate 14.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,215,407 and 5,078,890, for example, respectively disclose the use of loose-fill (i.e., unbindered) and glass fiber felt (i.e., bindered) glass fibers as means for cleaning up spills of oils and other liquid pollutants. U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,407 discloses the use of bundles of shredded blown glass fibers for absorbing materials such as oil from water and other surfaces. For such spills, glass fibers that preferentially absorb oil rather than water are preferred. U.S. Pat No. 5,078,890 discloses the use of felts made of mineral fibers for absorbing petroleum products from bodies of water. The felts include glass wool or rock wool, and comprise highly compressed fibers. Prior to compression, the fibers are cut into particles of less than 4 cm. The fibers are compressed with a binding agent, which is preferably of a water-repellent material, thus enhancing the hydrophobicity of the felts. Such hydrophobic materials may not be adequate for absorbing water and aqueous liquids.
A continued need exists, therefore, for materials capable of sorbing liquids, including water-soluble and water-based liquids.